Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha still challenging the CPP

Cambodge Soir

03-09-2008

It looks like the parliamentary opening will be rough. On Tuesday 2nd of September, the head of the opposition announced that he and his members would take an oath before the King on the 25th of September and not before, like the CPP. The HRP will join the SRP.

For Sam Rainsy, this initiative aims to show that the future National Assembly hasn’t been elected on democratic bases. The SRP and the HRP are still challenging the 27th of July election results, although their complaints have been thrown out by the National Election Committee and the Constitutional Council. According to the parliamentary procedure, at least 120 out of the 123 delegates have to come together on the 24th of September at the National Assembly before taking an oath before the King. On that day, the SRP and the HRP delegates will not be present in the hemicycle. But Sam Rainsy warns: “We’re not giving up our seats. However, we don’t ’want to sit besides the parliamentary members who stole our positions”. The 26 elected representatives of the SRP and the 3 of the HRP wish to take an oath before the King on the 25th of September, at the very moment when the CPP, Funcinpec and probably the NRP will be voting for the constitution of the new government.

The question is now whether this strategy will be successful.